Camera Equipment Review - The Vested Interest Photo VestText copyright Jim Erhardt. Photography copyright Emily Erhardt. All rights reserved.
"The highest quality photo vest found anywhere in the world."
So it says on the home page of the www.vestedinterest.com website. This kind of “best you can find anywhere” statement is often nothing more than sales hyperbole, having little to do with reality. However, in the case of The Vested Interest product, it’s actually a bit of an understatement.
There are many manufacturers of photo vests, all of whom offer models of similar design and quality of construction. These vests are usually nothing more than a re-labeled “outdoor vest” constructed of cotton, with a number of small pockets with zipper or Velcro closures. These vests have become quite fashionable with jet-setters as well because they are usually quite comfortable to wear, offering convenient carry for such travel essentials as cell phones, PDAs, Discmans and P&S cameras. When labeled as a “photo vest,” the pockets are usually adequate for filters, a few rolls of film (remember that stuff?) and maybe a speedlight and a small lens. However, the pockets are not large enough for the kind of gear a nature photographer typically carries in the field. If you do manage to cram an extra camera body or short telephoto lens into the pockets, the style over function design of this kind of vest quickly reveals its limitations.
John Storrie, owner of Storrie Parachute Works, Inc., realized this nearly 20 years ago and began producing photo vests designed for photographers. Today, these vests are marketed through The Vested Interest division of Storrie Parachute Works and are, without a doubt, the most suitable vest for those who need to carry a lot of heavy photo gear into the field. In fact, John produces vests for the U.S. military for use by combat photographers, a contract that has kept his Denton, Texas based company quite busy over the last 10 years. Like most other military apparel, the TVI vests are not intended to make a fashion statement. In fact, a TVI vest is better described as a large, heavy duty camera bag that you wear. Constructed of mil-spec materials, the TVI vest resembles in both appearance and quality of construction the combat vests used by U.S. servicemen. Like the combat vests our troops depend on to dependably carry the accouterments of war, TVI vests are designed from the ground up to function reliably when the going gets tough, and are custom made to your measurements one at a time right here in the U.S.
While you may not want to show up to a wine and cheese party in the Hamptons wearing one of these, you will find no better product anywhere if comfortably carrying a lot photo gear in the field is your mission.
And that’s no sales hype.
Comments on NPN camera equipment reviews? Send them to the editor.
JE-NPN 0001
| 
